This invention concerns catamenial tampons and, in particular, concerns improvements in such tampons to prevent menstrual fluid bypass.
The art is now replete with suggestions for catamenial tampons designed to be inserted into the vagina during menstruation and to preclude the passage of menstrual fluid by blocking the vaginal passage and absorbing menses. The vast majority of tampons now in use consist of highly compressed absorbent bodies which upon insertion into the vaginal vault, expand and purportedly seal the vagina against fluid bypass. Expansion is accomplished in several alternative ways. Most commonly, the tampons are comprised of absorbent materials which when contacted with menstrual fluid absorb and swell, thus increasing the size of the tampons. These tampons usually consist of compressed cellulosic fibers or synthetic materials, such as hydrophilic foams, which expand when wet.
Alternatively, suggestions have been made for providing the tampon with mechanical means for expansion. An example of this is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,311 issued to Daniel D. Kokx et al. on Dec. 19, 1972.
Irrespective of the method chosen, all of these prior tampons suffer from a common problem. While they are generally small enough to be inserted into the vaginal vault comfortably through the introitus, they all are intentionally designed to increase greatly in cross-section once emplaced within the vagina. Having been so inserted and having performed the intended function of absorbing and blocking menstrual fluid, the problem now remains to remove the now enlarged tampon from the vagina through the relatively narrow vaginal introitus. This must be accomplished without discomfort to the user and without exerting a compressive force on the tampon sufficient to squeeze out menstrual fluid retained in the tampon.
Heretofore, this problem has not been satisfactorily solved and so a need remains for a catamenial tampon capable of being inserted comfortably and then expanding to block menstrual fluid bypass when in the vaginal vault and, at the same time, capable of being removed after such expansion without discomfort and without giving up the absorbed menses.